Three Hundred and Thirty-Five Years' War

Three Hundred and Thirty-Five Years' War (1651-1986) is the name given to the "peaceful war" between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly (located off the southwest coast of the United Kingdom).). It lasted 335 years without a single shot being fired. It is considered the longest war in history.

The 335 Years War

Origins

The origins of the war lie in the Second English Civil War, fought between Royalists and Parliamentarians between 1642 and 1652. Oliver Cromwell had to fight against the Royalists on the borders of the Kingdom of England. To the west of England Cornwall was the last stronghold of the royalists. By 1648, Cromwell controlled the mainland side of Cornwall, which was held by the Parliamentarians.

The Royalists' strong point was the British Royal Navy, which worked for the Prince of Wales Charles II. The Royalist Navy was forced to retreat to the Isles of Scilly, which were off the Cornish coast and under the rule of Royalist Sir John Grenville.

Dutch Navy Alliance

The Navy of the United Netherlands Provinces was allied with the Parliamentarians. The Netherlands had help from the English during the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648), which began with Queen Elizabeth I of England. The Treaty of Münster (January 30, 1648) confirmed Dutch independence from Spain. The Netherlands sought to maintain its alliance with England and chose to ally itself with the side that promised to be the winner in the Civil War.

The Dutch Navy suffered many losses at the hands of the royalist fleet based in Scilly. On March 30, 1651, Admiral Maarten Harpertszoon arrived at Scilly to demand reparation from the royalist fleet for the Dutch ships and goods taken by them. As there was no satisfactory response, in April 1651 the Netherlands declared war. As most of England was in the hands of the Parliamentarians, war was declared specifically on the Isles of Scilly.

Realistic Surrender

In June 1651, shortly after the declaration of war, Parliamentary forces under the command of Admiral Robert Blake forced the Royalist fleet to surrender. The Dutch fleet, now under no threat, withdrew without firing a shot. Due to ignorance of a declaration of war by one nation against a small part of another, the Dutch forgot to officially declare peace.